Presentations

Parts I and II of the 2017 National Baldrige Quest for Excellence Conference Breakout Session: Communities of Excellence 2026: San Diego's Journey. Presented April 3rd, 2017 by Stephanie Norling and Anabel Poole.

Part I of a Learning Lab series on Communities of Excellence 2026: Using a Baldrige Framework to Drive Transformation. This five part series will share a framework for a systems-based approach to facilitating “community performance excellence”. Beginning with background context and the “why” of this approach, the series will also share success stories from high-performing communities and key learnings from field experts. It will culminate in a focus on sustainability and spreading what works.

Part II of our series: Using Baldrige to Drive Transformation. This Learning Lab centers on square-one fundamentals of a framework-based approach to community transformation, as well as context for this area of innovation. Participants will get to know the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and why it was adapted for community transformation, learn key features of the Communities of Excellence Framework, and identify first steps that a community can take.

Part III: Learning From San Diego - Building Safe, Healthy, and Thriving Communities through Collaboration. This Learning Lab will center on how government, non-profit, and business organizations in San Diego are using a Baldrige framework to create a safe, healthy, and thriving community for diverse residents. The effort is part of the Live Well San Diego initiative, which began in 2010 as a health improvement strategy, and evolved into a more holistic community improvement project.

Part IV: Continue Learning From San Diego - COE Framework Aligning Community and Organization. Guest Presenter Anabel Poole will discuss San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency Baldrige journey and how implementing the Communities of Excellence Framework has resulted in key insights regarding the way the Agency operates in the community.

Part V: The Role of Values-based Leadership - Starting the Community Conversation. Rick Norling, Vice-Chair and Co-Founder of Communities of Excellence 2026 will discuss the values that we believe underpin a Community of Excellence, the importance of community leaders that role model those values–based behaviors and how they can be reinforced to strengthen community partnerships. Guest Presenter Brenda Grant, Chief Strategy Officer at Charleston Area Medical Center will share experiences from the leadership team in Charleston of these values in action, what had to be in place to achieve them and how they’ve evolved. Brenda has worked extensively with the development, implementation, and long term success of community health programs and collaborative health networks at the Charleston Area Medical Center Health System.

From the 2016 National Baldrige Quest for Excellence Conference: Using Baldrige to Improve Community Outcomes. Presented April 5th, 2016 by Brian Lassiter, Max Summers, and Stephanie Norling

News & Events

Fundraisers and events help us raise awareness and generate crucial resources to serve our community. Join us at our next event and see how you can get involved. Find out more.

Events

We regularly travel around the country to spread the word about Communities of Excellence 2026 and the important work going on in our Learning Collaborative communities. Join us at our next event and see how you can get involved.Find out more.

A Growing Sense of Urgency

“America faces great challenges as we approach the year 2026 – the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. We believe the greatest of these challenges—in educational attainment, job creation, and health status—are most effectively confronted at the community level. ” Read on

Kruse Scholars

Meet the Next Generations of Leaders: Learn more about the Kruse Communities of Excellence Scholarship recipientsRead more.